Method and apparatus for attaching a ring-like part to the outer periphery of columnar material

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for attaching a ring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnar material, as, for example, in the assembling of a catalytic converter. The columnar material is positioned and supported with its axis oriented horizontally. A guide member is supported from the side to position it adjacent to the columnar material on the same axis as the columnar material. The guide member has an outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnar material. The guide member is then supported in the axial direction and at the same time, has the side support thereof released. The ring-like part is then pushed while guiding it on the outer inclined surface of the guide member to fit it over a portion of the columnar material. The pushing of the ring-like part is released and then the guide member is again supported from the sides, while at the same time, the support thereof from the axial direction is released. Using the disclosed method and apparatus, it is possible to attach the ring-like part to the columnar material without previously passing the ring-like part over the guide member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for attaching aring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnar material.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In attaching a mesh ring to the outer periphery of a columnarly-formedcatalyst within a casing, the ring being positioned between the catalystand the inner surface of a casing, as for example, in the assembling ofa catalytic converter, it has been normal to position a guide memberabove a vertically disposed catalyst and guide the mesh ring using theguide member to thereby fit the mesh ring over the outer periphery ofthe catalyst from above.

With this conventional method, however, it is necessary to pass the meshring over the guide member prior to placing it around the catalyst. Inaddition, when other processing is applied to the columnar material, asfor example, when a seal mat is wound around the catalyst, it may benecessary to turn the columnar material horizontally and then attach theseal mat thereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a methodand apparatus for attaching a ring-like part to a columnar materialwhich enables the attaching of the ring-like part to the columnarmaterial when it is oriented horizontally and eliminates the need forthe prior passing of the ring-like part over a guide member. Further,simultaneous processing of the columnar material is possible because ofthe horizontal orientation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatusfor attaching a ring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnarmaterial wherein the columnar material can be reliably positioned andsupported substantially horizontally with one end raised in order toattach the ring-like part thereto.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatusfor attaching a ring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnarmaterial wherein a guide member for guiding the ring-like part issupported to avoid interference with the movement of the ring-like part,and the guide member can be brought into close contact with the outerperiphery of the columnar material so that the ring-like part issmoothly guided to the columnar material.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for attaching a ring-like part to the outer periphery of acolumnar material wherein a drive mechanism for moving the ring-likepart for attachment to the columnar material can be properly actuatedand is of a simple construction.

To accomplish the above objects, the present invention is directed to amethod for attaching a ring-like part to the outer periphery of acolumnar material. The method comprises positioning and supporting thecolumnar material with its axis oriented substantially horizontally andsupporting a guide member from the sides to position it adjacent to thecolumnar material on the same axis as the columnar material. The guidemember has an outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnarmaterial and the ring-like part, which is to be attached, is positionedon the same axis as the columnar material. The guide member is supportedfrom an axial direction and at the same time, the side supportingthereof is released sides and the ring-like part is pushed while guidingit on the outer inclined surface of the guide member to fit it over theto-be-attached portion of the columnar material. The pushing on thering-like part is released and the guide member is then again supportedfrom the sides, while at the same time, the supporting thereof from theaxial direction is released.

In addition, the present invention is directed to an apparatus forattaching a ring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnarmaterial. The apparatus comprises a positioning rest on which thecolumnar material is placed and positioned with its axis orientedhorizontally with the portion to which the ring-like part is to beattached being exposed. A guide mechanism includes a guide member havingan outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnar material and aclamp mechanism supports the guide mechanism from the sides to positionthe guide member on the same axis as the columnar material at a positionadjacent to the columnar material laid on the positioning rest. Asupport arm is axially movable to support the guide mechanism in theaxial direction and a holding and urging mechanism supports thering-like part on the same axis as the columnar material and is movableto push the ring-like part toward the columnar material. A drivemechanism is connected to the support arm and the holding and urgingmechanism.

With the above method, prior to attaching the ring-like part, thesupporting of the guide member from the sides is released and the guidemember is supported in the axial direction. Therefore, it is possible topush the ring-like part towards the columnar material. In addition,since the ring-like part is guided by the guide member and moves towardsthe columnar material, the smooth attachment of the ring-like part tothe columnar material may be ensured.

In addition, with the above apparatus of the present invention, thesupporting of the guide member is provided by the clamp mechanism andthe support arm. Accordingly, the support of the guide member can bechanged from supporting the sides to supporting in the axial directionto prevent the interference with the movement of the ring-like part, andin this way, the holding and urging mechanism is moved to provide theattaching of the ring-like part to the outer periphery of the columnarmaterial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a catalytic converter;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a complete assembling apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the complete assembling apparatus;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view in vertical section of a positioningrest and a winding mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V--V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view in vertical section of a guide mechanismof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII--VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line VIII--VIII ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view as viewed in a direction of the arrow IX ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line X--X of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view as viewed in a direction of the arrow XI of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line XII--XII ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line XIII--XIII of FIG. 12;and

FIG. 14a to 14e are a view for explaining the operation of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Referring first to FIG. 1, a catalytic converter1 is mounted in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine for avehicle (not shown) and includes a casing 2 containing a pair ofcatalysts 3 axially positioned therein. Each of the catalysts 3 isformed into a columnar shape, for example, having an ellipticcross-section. Upon the passing of the exhaust gas through the catalysts3, harmful gases such as HC, CO and NO_(x) in the exhaust gas areremoved through the acceleration of oxidation and reduction reactions.

The casing 2 comprises a shell 5 made of a stainless steel plate. Theshell 5 has, at one end thereof, a first end cone 4 and at the other endthereof, a second end cone 6 made of stainless steel plate and weldedthereto. Flanges 7 and 8 secured to end cones 4 and 6 are for connectingthe converter to an exhaust pipe.

The shell 5 is formed into a tube having an elliptic cross-section andconsists of a pair of shell halves 9 and 10 bisected along the axialdirection over its entire length and welded to each other. Binding jaws11 and 12, bearing against each other, are mounted at the peripherallyopposite ends of the shell halves 9 and 10, respectively. The shell 5 isformed by welding the binding jaws 11 and 12 which bear against eachother.

The shell 5 formed from the shell halves 9 and 10 connected to eachother, has a tubular portion 13. One end of tubular portion 13 isconnected to the end cone 4 through a shoulder 14, and to the other endof tubular portion 13 is welded to the second end cone 6 having ashoulder 15.

A mesh ring 16 and a seal mat 17 are interposed between the outerperipheral surface of each catalyst 3 and the inner surface of thetubular portion 13 of the casing 2. The mesh ring 16 is formed into aring-like net having the resiliency of a knit fabric made, for example,from fine stainless steel wires, and functions to prevent thedestruction of the catalyst 3 due to vibration. The seal mat 17 is woundaround the outer periphery of the catalyst 3 and functions to preventthe gas from passing between the catalyst 3 and the tubular portion 13.

A ring-like end protecting member 18 made of the same material as themesh ring 16 is positioned between the casing 2 and each of thenon-opposing ends of the catalysts 3. The end protecting member 18 has asubstantially L-shaped cross-section, and abuts at its inner surfaceagainst the outer peripheral surface of and the end surface of thecatalyst 3 and abuts at its outer surface against the inner surface ofand the shoulder 14 or 15 of the tubular portion 13.

An end protecting member 19 which is made of the same material and hasthe same configuration as the end protecting member 18, is mounted oneach of the opposing ends of the catalysts 3. A ring-like protector 20having a substantially L-shaped cross-section is interposed between theouter surface of each end protecting member 19 and the inner surface ofthe tubular portion 13 in the casing 2. The protectors 20 abut againsteach other.

A plurality of inwardly depressed recesses 21 are provided in the casing2 over the entire periphery thereof at locations between individualadjacent ones of the components 16 to 20, for the purpose of determiningthe respective positions of the mesh ring 16, the seal mat 17, the endprotecting members 18 and 19 and the protectors 20.

In assembling the catalytic converter 1, an insert assembly 22 ispreviously prepared. The assembly 22 comprises the mesh ring 16 and theseal mat 17 both mounted on the catalyst 3.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate apparatus for assembling the insert assembly22. A pair of assembling devices 23 are symmetrically arranged on a base24 for simultaneously producing a pair of insert assemblies 22.

The assembling device 23 comprises a positioning rest 25 on which thecatalyst 3 is placed and positioned with its axis oriented substantiallyhorizontally. A winding mechanism 26 winds the seal mat 17 around oneend of the catalyst 3 and a guide mechanism 28 including a guide member27 is disposed on the same axis as the catalyst 3 on the positioningrest 25. A clamp mechanism 29 is operable to releasably support theguide member 27 from the side thereof, and a holding and urgingmechanism 30 is movable on the base 24 while resiliently holding themesh ring 16. A support arm 31 is movable on the same axis as the guidemember 27 to support one end of the guide member 27, and a drivemechanism 32 drives the holding and urging mechanism 30 and the supportarm 31.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the positioning rest 25 is fixedly mountednear the central portion of the base 24 so that the catalyst 3 may bepositioned on the positioning rest 25, with the portion 3a of catalyst3, to which the mesh ring 16 is to be attached, being exposed. Morespecifically, the positioning rest 25 comprises a post 35 mounted on thebase 24, an abutment plate 36 fixedly mounted on the upper portion ofthe post 35 opposed to that end surface of the catalyst 3 around whichthe seal mat 17 is wound. A receiving member 37 is fixedly mounted onthe post 35 to receive the lower outer peripheral surface of thecatalyst 3, i.e., a portion around which the seal mat 17 is to be wound,an an arrest member 38 is fixedly mounted on the upper portion of theabutment plate 36 and adapted to engage the upper end edge portion ofthe catalyst 3 for inhibiting the rising of the catalyst 3 on thereceiving member 37. The receiving member 37 includes a receivingsurface 39 curved to conform to the outer half peripheral surface of thecatalyst 3, and a groove 40 into which the seal mat 17 is fitted, opensupwardly in the receiving surface 39.

With the positioning rest 25, the catalyst 3 is positioned thereon withit axis oriented horizontally such that the catalyst 3 is placed on thereceiving surface 39 of the receiving member 37 and the arrest member 38is in engagement with the upper end edge of the catalyst 3.

The winding mechanism 26 includes a support plate 41 mounted below thereceiving plate 37 and set on the base 24 in an opposed relation withthe post 35. A pair of pivotal arms are supported for pivotal movementbetween the post 35 and the support arm 41 and arrest claws 43 arefixedly mounted on the forward end of respective pivotal arms 42. Aswinging cylinder 44 is supported on the base 24 with its axisvertically extending between the post 35 and the support plate 41, aconnecting plate 46 is connected to the upper end of a piston 45extending upwardly from the upper end of the swinging cylinder 44, andlinks 47 are each connected between each of the opposite ends of theconnecting plate 46 with the intermediate portion of each pivotal arm42.

Each pivotal arm 42 is L-shaped and pivotally supported at its base endby a pivot 48 which has an axis parallel to the catalyst 3 in thereceiving member 37. Each pivot arm extends below the receiving member37 between the post 35 and the support plate 41. The arrest claw 43includes an arrest surface 49 which is curved to conform to the upperouter surface of the catalyst 3 on the receiving member 37 and isprovided with a groove 50 diametrically opposed to the groove 40 of thereceiving member 37.

Each of the links 47 is connected at one end thereof to the intermediateportion of each pivotal arm 42 through a pin 51 which is parallel to thepivot 48 and at the other end thereof is connected to one of theopposite ends of the connecting plate 46 through a pin 52 which isparallel to the pin 51.

In the winding mechanism 26, the expanding or retracting operation ofthe swinging cylinder 44 causes each pivotal arm 42 to be swung betweena position in which the arrest claw 43 abuts against the catalyst 3 anda position in which the claw is retracted to the side with respect tothe catalyst 3 as shown by a broken line in FIG. 5. Moreover, when theseal mat 17 is fitted in the groove 40 in the receiving member 37, theopposite ends of the seal mat 17 extend sideways from the receivingmember 37, and the arrest claw 43 in the retracted state are locatedbelow the extended portions of the seal mat 17. Therefore, if eachpivotal arm 42 is turned so that the arrest claw 43 is swung from theretracted state towards the catalyst 3, the extended portion of the sealmat 17 is fitted into the groove 50 in the arrest claw 43 and is pickedup. When the arrest surface 49 of the arrest claw 43 abuts against theouter surface of the catalyst 3, the seal mat 17 is wound around thecatalyst 3 over the entire periphery thereof. Then, the opposite ends ofthe seal mat 17 are adhered with an adhesive tape 53 to complete thewinding up of the seal mat 17.

As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the guide mechanism 28 comprises a guidemember 27 and a support 63 fitted in the guide member 27 for axialmovement relative thereto, and is coaxially disposed adjacent thecatalyst 3 on the receiving member 37. The guide member 27 has anelliptic cross-section, with its outer inclined surface graduallyenlarged towards the catalyst 3 on the receiving member 37. The guidemember 27 also has a relatively large bore 57 concentric with theinterior thereof. A blocking plate 58 closes the open end of the bore 57and is secured to the end of the guide member 27 close to the catalyst 3by a threaded member 59, and a resilient plate 60 is affixed to theblocking plate 58 and abuts against the end surface of the catalyst 3.

A radially inward projecting inner jaw 61 is provided over the entireperiphery on the opened end of the bore 57 opposite the catalyst 3 anddefines a slide-fit bore 62 concentric with the bore 57. A columnarsupport 63 is slidably fitted in the slide-fit bore 62 and an outer jaw64 is provided over the entire periphery at the forward end of thesupport 63. The support 63 slidably projects into the bore 57.

The support 63 and the guide member 27 are relatively movable in theaxial direction, and the support 63 is supported by the clamp mechanism29 or the support arm 31. Therefore, the support 63 is in a fixedposition and the guide member 27 is relatively movable in the axialdirection with respect to the support 63. Further, a spring 65 isinterposed between the inner jaw 61 and the outer jaw 64 to surround thesupport 63 for resiliently biasing the inner and outer jaws away fromeach other, i.e., the guide member 27 is biased away from the catalyst 3on the receiving member 37.

To support the support 63 with the clamp mechanism 29, an annular groove66, which narrows towards the bottom, is provided in the outer surfaceof that portion of the support 63 which extends out from the slide-fitbore 62. A pair of insert holes 67 are formed in support 63 forpermitting the insertion of the support arms 31 thereinto. Urging arms68 are pivotally connected to the support 63 at the blocking plate 58.The urging arms 68 pivot between a state in which each arm extendsperpendicularly to the insert holes 67 and a state in which each armprojects toward the blocking plate 58 parallel to the insert holes 67.Each urging arm 68 is resiliently biased by a spring (not shown) towardsthe state in which it extends perpendicularly to the insert hole 67.When each urging arm 68 is forcably turned by the support arm 31 andabuts against the blocking plate 58 and thus, the guide member 27 iscaused to move toward the catalyst 3 against the spring force of thespring 65.

Referring to FIG. 8, the clamp mechanism 29 is disposed to the side ofthe support 63 in a position associated with the annular groove 66 inthe support 63. More specifically, the clamp mechanism 29 comprises asupport frame 70 fixedly mounted on the base 24 in an inclined manner toextend upwardly as it becomes clear of the side of the support 63. Amember 72 is movable along a pair of guide rods 71 fixed on the supportframe 70, a displacing cylinder 74 is fixedly mounted on the supportframe 70 and has a piston 73 connected to the movable member 72, and aframe 75 is mounted on the movable member 72. A pair of openable andclosable arms 76 are carried on the frame 75 for turning movement aboutan axis parallel to the axis of the support 63. The clamp arms 77 areeach fixedly mounted on the forward end of each openable and closablearm 76, opening and closing cylinder 78 is fixedly mounted on the frame75, and links 81 are connected to a connecting plate 80 and are coupledto the piston 79 of the opening and closing cylinder 78, with the end ofeach openable and closable arm 76.

The movable member 72 is reciprocally moved along the guide rods 71 inaccordance with the expansion and contraction of the displacing cylinder74. Accordingly, the openable and closable arms 76 are pivotally movablebetween a state in which the clamping claws 77 thereof clamp the support63 from above and below, and a state in which the clamp claws 77 areretracted obliquely upwardly with respect to the support 63.

Upon expansion or retraction of the opening and closing cylinder 78,both the openable and closable arms 76 are operated to open or close.When both openable and closable arms 76 have been closed in thepositions associated with the support 63, the individual clamp claws 77are fitted into the corresponding annular grooves 66 to clamp thesupport 63 from opposite sides, thereby supporting the guide member 27.

A rest 82 is integrally mounted on the lower clamp claw 77 and extendsto the catalyst 3 in the receiving member 37. When the support 63 isclamped by both of the clamp claws 77, the rest 82 abut against thelower surface of the catalyst 3 at the end thereof close to the guidemember 27 to support the catalyst 3. When the clamping of the support 63by the clamp claws 77 is released, the rest 82 is also retracted torelease the support of the catalyst 3.

Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, the holding and urging mechanism 30 isdisposed to the side of catalyst 3 for movement along the axis of thecatalyst 3. The holding and urging mechanism 30 comprises a movablemember 85 connected to the drive mechanism 32, and a base plate 87secured to the movable plate 85 and having an opening 86 which permitsthe insertion of the guide member 27 therethrough in accordance with themovement of the movable plate 85. A plurality of, e.g., three holdingpieces 88a, 88b and 88c, are arranged and supported along the peripheraledge of the opening 86 at the side close to the guide mechanism 30 withrespect to the base plate 87, and a pair of holding arms 89 arepivotally carried on the base plate 87. Holding pieces 88d and 88e areeach carried on the forward end of the corresponding holding arm 89, anda holding cylinder 90 is supported on the movable plate 85 and has avertically extending axis about which both the holding arms 89 are to beturned. A plurality of, e.g., six urging plates 91 are carried on thebase plate 87 along the peripheral edge of the opening 86.

Each of the holding pieces 88a to 88e has a holding surface 92 curved toconform to the outer peripheral surface of the mesh ring 16 which isheld by the holding surface 92. In other words, three holding pieces 88ato 88c are carried on the base plate 87 at positions associated with thelower half outer peripheral surface of the mesh ring 16. Supportingprotrusions 93 are mounted on the base plate 87 in a correspondingrelation to the three holding pieces 88a to 88c, respectively. Theindividual holding pieces 88a to 88c are connected to the correspondingsupporting protrusions 93 through links 94, respectively. Thus, each ofthe holding pieces 88a to 88c is movable towards or away from thesupporting protrusion 93. A pair of guide rods 95 movably penetrate thesupporting protrusion 93, each guide rod 95 having one end secured toeach of the holding pieces 88a to 88c and the other end engaged with aconnecting jaw 96 engaging the supporting protrusion 93. Consequently,each of the holding pieces 88a to 88c is movable away from thesupporting projection 93 to a position in which the connecting jaw 96engages the supporting protrusion 93. Moreover, a spring 97 ispositioned between each supporting protrusion 93 and each of the holdingpieces 88a to 88c to surround each guide rod 95, so that each of theholding pieces 88a to 88c is resiliently biased away from the supportingprotrusion 93.

Each holding arm 89 is formed into a substantially C-shape and ispivotally supported at its base end on the side surface of the baseplate 87 at the side close to the guide mechanism 28 by a pivot 98.Thus, both of the holding arms 89 are movable towards or away from themesh ring 16 placed on the holding surfaces 92 of the individual holdingpieces 88a to 88c at the opposite sides of the mesh ring 16.

Each holding arm 89 is provided at its forward end with a supportingprotrusion 99, and like holding pieces 88a to 88c, the holding pieces88d and 88e are connected to the supporting protrusion 99 through a linkmechanism 94, guide rollers 95 each having an engaging jaw 96 and aspring 97. Thus, when each holding arm 89 is turned towards the meshring 16, the holding surface 92 of each holding piece 88d, 88e,resiliently abuts against the upper outer surface of the mesh ring 16.

A link 101 is connected at one end thereof to the intermediate portionof each holding arm 89 through a pin 100 parallel to the pivot 98 toturn each holding arm 89. On the other hand, a connecting plate 103 iscoupled with the forward or upper end of a piston rod 102 in the holdingcylinder 90, and the other ends of the links 101 are connected to theopposite ends of the connecting plate 103 through pins 104 parallel tothe pin 100, respectively. Thus, each holding arm 89 is operable to openor close in accordance with the expansion or contraction of the holdingcylinder 89.

Each pushing plate 91 is formed to have a substantially U-shapedcross-section and is fitted over the peripheral edge of the opening 86in the base plate 87. A clamp plate 105 is secured by a plurality ofbolts 106 on the side surface of the base plate 87 which is opposite tothe side of holding pieces 88a to 88c, which are disposed and adapted toclamp each urging plate 91 for movement between the clamp plate itselfand the base plate 87. The clamp plate 105 has a through hole 107 topermit the insertion of the catalyst 3 therethrough, and each bolt 106is threaded into the base plate between the individual adjacent pushplates 91.

An endless spring 108 is wound around the outer periphery of each pushplate 9, so that each push plate 91 is supported between the base plate87 and the clamp plate 105 such that it is inwardly biased by thespring. Furthermore, one side surface 91a of each push plate 91 facesthe end surface of the mesh ring 16 held by the holding pieces 88a to88e, so that the surface abuts against the mesh ring 16 to push it.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the drive mechanism 32 is disposed on thebase 24 at the side opposite the guide mechanism 28 with respect to theurging mechanism 30. The drive mechanism 32 comprises a first drivecylinder 112 for driving the support arm 31, and the second drivecylinder 113 for driving the holding and urging mechanism 30. The drivecylinders are supported and fixed on a support frame 11 securely mountedon the base 24 with the axes parallel to each other.

The support frame 111 is substantially U-shaped with side plates 114 and115 opposed to each other at a distance along the extension of the axisof the catalyst 3 and interconnected by a bottom plate 116 fixedlymounted on the base 24. The upper portion of the support frame 111 iscovered by a cover 117.

The first drive cylinder 112 is fixed and horizontally supported on thecentral upper portion of the one side plate 114, and has a piston 118which passes through the side plate 114 into the support frame 111. Apair of guide rods 119, each having an axis parallel to the first drivecylinder, are supported for movement along the axes thereof on theopposite sides of the lower portions of the side plates 114 and 115. Acylindrical sleeve 120 is fitted over each guide rod 119 at anintermediate portion thereof within the support frame 111 for relativemovement in the axial direction, and the piston 118 is secured at itsforward end to the central portion of a connecting member 121interconnecting the sleeves 120. Thus, the connecting member 121 can beguided and moved by the guide rods 119 in accordance with the expansionand contraction of the first cylinder 112.

A push rod 122 having an axis on the extension of the axis of the piston118 is secured to the connecting member 121, and the pair of supportarms 31 is mounted in parallel on the forward end of the push rod 122.Each of the support arms 31 is provided at its base with a forwardlyfaced step 31a which is adapted to abut against the end surface of thesupport 63 in guide mechanism 28 when each support arm 31 is passedthrough the holding and urging mechanism 30 and set into the insert hole67 in the support 63.

To regulate the amount of movement of support arm 31, an arm 123projects outwardly from the support frame 111 and is secured to one ofthe sleeves 120. A pair of dogs 124 are fixed to the forward end of thearms 123 at a distance spaced in a direction parallel to the axis of theguide rod 119. On the other hand, a pair of limit switches 125 operatedby the dogs 124 are fixedly mounted on the base 24 at positions spacedin a direction parallel to the axis of the guide rod 119. Thus, theamount of expansion or contraction of the first drive cylinder 112,i.e., the amount of movement of the support arm 31 is regulated by thedogs 124 and limit switches 125.

One end of each guide rod 119 is movably passed through the side plate115 and secured to the movable plate 85 in the holding and urgingmechanism 30. Thus, the holding and urging mechanism 30 can also bemoved in accordance with the movement of the guide rods 119.

To drive the guide rods 119, the second drive cylinder 113 is supportedand fixed on the support frame 11 below the push rod 122. The seconddrive cylinder 113 has a piston 126 which is connected to the aforesaidmovable plate 85 and thus, the guide rods 119 are connected to thepiston 126 of the second drive cylinder 113 through the movable plate85.

The other ends of guide rods 119 pass through the side plate 114 andextend outwardly, and the outwardly extending ends of the guide rods 119are connected to each other through a connecting plate 127. A supportarm 128 is suspended downwardly from the central portion of theconnecting plate 127, and a pair of dogs 129 are fixedly mounted on thelower end of the support arm 128 spaced from and in a direction parallelto each guide rod 119. A support plate 130 extends outwardly in parallelto and below the guide rods 119 and is secured to the outer surface ofthe side plate 114. A pair of limit switches 131, which are operated bythe movement of the respective dogs 129, are fixedly mounted on thesupport plate 130 at a distance spaced from each other. The amount ofexpansion or contraction of the second drive cylinder 113, i.e., theamount of movement of the guide rods 119 and the holding and urgingmechanism 30 is regulated by the cooperation of the dogs 129 with thelimit switches 131.

Having described in detail the construction of one of the assemblingapparatus 23, the other assembling apparatus 23 is also constructed inthe very similar manner and thus, both of the assembling apparatuses 23are disposed in a lateral, symmetrical relation on the base 24.

Description will now be made of the operation of this embodiment of thepresent invention with reference to FIGS. 14a to 14e. In assembling theinsert assembly 22 in the construction of the catalytic converter 1, atfirst, as shown in FIG. 14a, the swinging cylinder 44 in the windingmechanism 26 has been retracted to open the pivotal arm 42 and retractthe arrest claw 43 to the side. In the clamp mechanism 29, the openingand closing cylinder 78 has been retracted to close the opening andclosing arm 76 and grasp the support 63 of the guide mechanism 28 withthe clamp claws 77. Further, the first and second drive cylinders 112and 113 have been retracted so that the support arm 31 is separated fromthe guide mechanism 28 and the holding and urging mechanism 30 isseparated from the guide mechanism 28. Furthermore, in the holding andurging mechanism 30, the holding cylinder 90 is retracted to open theholding arms 89, so that the holding pieces 88d and 88e are retracted tothe side.

Then, as shown in FIG. 14b, the seal mat 17 is fitted into the groove 40in the receiving member 37 of the positioning rest 25, following whichthe catalyst 3 is placed onto and positioned on the receiving member 37and the rest 82. At the same time, the mesh ring 16 is placed onto theindividual holding pieces 88a to 88c of the holding and urging mechanism30.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 14c, the swinging cylinder 44 of thewinding mechanism 26 is expanded to pivot the pivotal arms 42 towardsthe catalyst 3, picking up the seal mat 17 and winding it around thecatalyst 3 with the arrest claws 43 to bond the opposite ends of theseal mat 17 to each other with an adhesive tape 53. In the holding andurging mechanism 30, the holding cylinder 90 is expanded to pivot theholding arm 89. The holding pieces 88d and 88e thereby abut against theupper outer surface of the mesh ring 16, thus inwardly urging andholding the mesh ring 16 with the individual holding pieces 88a and 88e.

When the mesh ring 16 is held by the holding and urging mechanism 30,the first drive cylinder 112 of the drive mechanism 32 is operated toexpand, so that the push rod 122 is moved through the mesh ring 16towards the guide mechanism 28, as shown in FIG. 14d. The support arms31 at the forward end of the push rod 122 are thereby inserted into theinsert hole 67 in the support 63 of the guide mechanism 28, so that theurging arms 68 are pushed by the forward ends of the support arms 31,causing the guide member 27 to move towards the catalyst 3. Thus, thecatalyst 3 is clamped between the abutment plate 36 and the resilientplate 60 of the guide member 27.

In this way, the guide mechanism 28 is supported by the support arms 31.In this case, the supporting of the guide mechanism 28 from the sides bythe clamp mechanism 29 is unnecessary and hence, in the clamp mechanism29, the opening and closing cylinder 78 is expanded to open the arms 76,releasing the supporting of the support 63 by the clamp claws 77.Further, the retracting operation of the displacing cylinder 74 causesthe clamp claws 77 to be retracted to a position in which they will notinterfere with the movement of the holding and urging mechanism 30.

Then, as shown in FIG. 14e, the second drive cylinder 113 of the drivemechanism 32 is operated to expand, thereby allowing the holding andurging mechanism 30 to be moved towards the catalyst 3 by the guide rods119. This movement of the holding and urging mechanism 30 causes themesh ring 16 to move towards the catalyst 3 while being graduallyexpanded outwardly by the inclined outer surface 56 of the guide member27. The individual push plates 91 pushing the mesh ring 16 are slidablysupported between the base plate 87 and the clamp plate 105 and hence,they push the mesh ring 16 while expanding it with the outer inclinedsurface 56 of the guide member 27, until the mesh ring 16 has ultimatelybeen fitted onto the portion 3a of the catalyst 3.

After fitting of the mesh ring 16 on the catalyst 3, the reverseoperation procedure can be followed from FIG. 14d to FIG. 14a to providethe insert assembly 22 including the catalyst 3, the mesh ring 16 andthe seal mat 17. A pair of insert assemblies 22 are prepared and theninstalled within the casing 2 along with the end protecting members 18and 19 and the protector 20 or the like, whereby the catalytic converter1 can be provided.

In the above embodiment, the catalytic converter 1 has been described asbeing of a construction that the pair of catalysts 3 are arrangedlongitudinally in a row within the casing 2, but it is to be understoodthat the present invention is applicable to a catalytic converter havinga single catalyst 3 contained within the casing. The configuration incross-section of the catalyst 3 is not limited to an ellipse, but thecatalyst may be circular or rectangular.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Thepresently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the inventionbeing indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are, therefore, to be embraced therein.

We claim:
 1. A method for attaching a cylindrical ring-like part to theouter periphery of a columnar material, said methodcomprising:positioning and supporting the columnar material with itsaxis horizontally oriented; supporting a guide member on the sidesthereof to position the guide member adjacent to the columnar materialon the same axis as the columnar material, wherein the guide member hasan outer inclined surface enlarged toward the columnar material;positioning the cylindrical ring-like part, on the same axis as thecolumnar material at the side of the guide member opposite to the sideof the columnar material; supporting the guide member from the axialdirections thereof, and concurrently, releasing the support thereof fromthe sides and pushing the cylindrical ring-like part while guiding thecylindrical ring-like part on the outer inclined surface of the guidemember to fit the cylindrical ring-like part over a portion of thecolumnar material; and releasing the pushing of the cylindricalring-like part and then supporting the guide member on the sidesthereof, whie concurrently, releasing the support thereof from the axialdirection.
 2. An apparatus for attaching a cylindrical ring-like part tothe outer periphery of a columnar material, comprising:a positioningmeans for positioning the columnar material with its axis orientedhorizontally with a portion to which the cylindrical ring-like part isto be attached being exposed; a guide means including a guide memberhaving an outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnar material;a clamp means for supporting the guide means from the sides thereof toposition the guide member on the same axis as the columanr material at aposition adjacent to the columnar material on the positioning means; asupport arm axially movable to support the guide means from the axialdirection; said clamp means and said support arm alternatingly providingsupport for the guide means; a holding and urging means for supportingthe cylindrical ring-like part on the same axis as the columnar materialat the side of the guide means opposite to the side of the columnarmaterial, and for pushing the cylindrical ring-like part towards thecolumnar material; and a drive means connected to the support arm andthe holding and urging means for driving the support arm and the holdingand urging means.
 3. An apparatus for attaching a cylindrical ring-likepart to the outer periphery of a columnar material, comprising:apositioning means for positioning the columnar material with its axisoriented horizontally with a portion to which the cylindrical ring-likepart is to be attached being exposed; a guide means including a guidemember having an outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnarmaterial; a clamp means for supporting the guide means from the sidesthereof to position the guide member on the same axis as the columnarmaterial at a position adjacent to the columnar material on thepositioning means; a support arm axially movable to support the guidemeans from the axial direction; said clamp means and said support armalternatingly providing support for the guide means; a holding andurging means for supporting the cylindrical ring-like part on the sameaxis as the columnar material at the side of the guide means opposite tothe side of the columnar material, and for pushing the cylindricalring-like part towards the columnar material; a drive means connected tothe support arm and the holding and urging means for driving the supportarm and the holding and urging means; and the clamp means is shiftablebetween a state in which the clamp means supports the guide means fromthe sides thereof and a state in which the clamp means releases thesupport and is retracted to the side thereof, and wherein the clampmeans includes a rest for carrying the other end of the columar materialonly in the guide means supporting state.
 4. An apparatus for attachinga cylindrical ring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnarmaterial, comprising:a positioning means for positioning the columnarmaterial with its axis oreinted horizontally with a portion to which thecylindrical ring-like part is to be attached being exposed; a guidemeans including a guide member having an outer inclined surface enlargedtowards the columnar material; a clamp means for supporting the guidemeans from the sides thereof to position the guide member on the sameaxis as the columnar material at a position adjacent to the columnarmaterial on the positiong means; a support arm axially movable tosupport the guide means from the axial direction; said clamp means andsaid support arm alternatingly providing support for the guide means; aholding and urging means for supporting the cylindrical ring-like parton the same axis as the columnar material at the side of the guide meansopposite to the side of the columnar material, and for pushing thecylindrical ring-like part towards the columnar material; a drive meansconnected to the support arm and the holding and urging means fordriving the support arm and the holding and urging means; and the guidemeans comprises the outer inclined surface and a guide member includingat one end thereof a resilient plate for abutting against the columnarmaterial, a support having an axial through hole over the entire lengththereof, wherein the guide member and the support are fitted to eachother for axial relative movement on the same axis as the axis of thecolumnar material laid on the positioning means, and a spring meansmounted between the guide member and the support for exerting a springforce on the resilient plate of the guide member to bias the guidemember away form the columnar material, and wherein the support arm isadapted to push the guide member such that the resilient plate abutsagainst the columnar material, when the guide member is inserted throughthe through hole.
 5. An apparatus for attaching a cylindrical ring-likepart to the outer periphery of a columnar material, comprising:apositioning means for positioning the columnar material with its axisoriented horizontally with a portion to which the cylindrical ring-likepart is to be attached being exposed; a guide means including a guidemember having an outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnarmaterial; a clamp means for supporting the guide means from the sidesthereof to position the guide member on the same axis as the columnarmaterial at a position adjacent to the columnar material on thepositioning means; a support arm axially movable to support the guidemeans from the axial direction; said clamp means and said support armalternatingly providing support for the guide means; a holding andurging means for supporting the cylindrical ring-like part on the sameaxis as the columnar material at the side of the guide means opposite tothe side of the columnar material, and for pushing the cylindricalring-like part towards the columnar material; a drive means connected tothe support arm and the holding and urging means for driving the supportarm and the holding and urging means; the clamp means is shiftablebetween a state in which the clamp means supports the guide means fromthe sides thereof and a state in which the clamp means releases thesupport and is retracted to the side thereof, and wherein the clampmeans includes a rest for carrying the other end of the columnarmaterial only in the guide means supporting state; and the guide meanscomprises the outer inclined surface and a guide member including at oneend thereof a resilient plate for abutting against the columnarmaterial, a support having an axial through hole over the entire lengththereof, wherein the guide member and the support are fitted to eachother for axial relative movement on the same axis as the axis of thecolumnar material laid on the positioning means, and a spring meansmounted between the guide member and the support for exerting a springforce on the resilient plate of the guide member to bias the guidemember away from the columnar material, and wherein the support arm isadapted to push the guide member such that the resilient plate abutsagainst the columnar material, when the guide member is inserted throughthe through hole.
 6. An apparatus for attaching a cylindrical ring-likepart to the outer periphery of a columnar material, comprising:apositioning means for positioning the columnar material with its axisoriented horizontally with a portion to which the cylindrical ring-likepart is to be attached being exposed; a guide means including a guidemember having an outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnarmaterial; a clamp means for supporting the guide means from the sidesthereof to position the guide member on the same axis as the columnarmaterial at a position adjacent to the columnar material on thepositioning means; a support arm axially movable to support the guidemeans from the axial direction; said clamp means and said support armalternatingly providing support for the guide means; a holding andurging means for supporting the cylindrical ring-like part on the sameaxis as the columnar material at the side of the guide means opposite tothe side of the columnar material, and for pushing the cylindricalring-like part towards the columnar material; a drive means connected tothe support arm and the holding and urging means for driving the supportarm and the holding and urging means; and the drive means includes astationary supporting frame, a guide rod connected to the holding andurging means, the guide rod extending in parallel to the direction ofoperation of the support arm and the holding and urging means, whereinthe guide rod is carried on the supporting frame from movement along theaxis of the supporting frame, and a sleeve, connected to the support armand a drive mechanism, the sleeve being slidably fitted over the guiderod for axial movement relative thereto.
 7. An apparatus for attaching acylindrical ring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnarmaterial, comprising:a positioning means for positioning the columnarmaterial with its axis oriented horizontally with a portion to which thecylindrical ring-like part is to be attached being exposed; a guidemeans including a guide member having an outer inclined surface enlargedtowards the columnar material; a clamp means for supporting the guidemeans from the sides thereof to position the guide member on the sameaxis as the columnar material at a position adjacent to the columnarmaterial on the positioning means; a support arm axially movable tosupport the guide means from the axial direction; said clamp means andsaid support arm alternatingly providing support for the guide means; aholding and urging means for supporting the cylindrical ring-like parton the same axis as the columnar material at the side of the guide meansopposite to the side of the columnar material, and for pushing thecylindrical ring-like part towards the columnar material; a drive meansconnected to the support arm and the holding and urging means fordriving the support arm and the holding and urging means; the clampmeans is shiftable between a state in which the clamp means supports theguide means from the sides thereof and a state in which the clamp meansreleases the support and is retracted to the side thereof, and whereinthe clamp means includes a rest for carrying the other end of thecolumnar material only in the guide means supporting state; and thedrive means includes a stationary supporting frame, a guide rodconnected to the holding and urging means, the guide rod extending inparallel to the direction of operation of the support arm and theholding and urging means, wherein the guide rod is carried on thesupporting frame for movement along the axis of the supporting frame,and a sleeve, connected to the support arm and a drive mechanism, thesleeve being slidably fitted over the guide rod for axial movementrelative thereto.
 8. An apparatus for attaching a cylindrical ring-likepart to the outer periphery of a columnar material, comprising:apositioning means for positioning the columnar material with its axisoriented horizontally with a portion to which the cylindrical ring-likepart is to be attached being exposed; a guide means including a guidemember having an outer inclined surface enlarged towards the columnarmaterial; a clamp means for supporting the guide means from the sidesthereof to position the guide member on the same axis as the columnarmaterial at a position adjacent to the columnar material on thepositioning means; a support arm axially movable to support the guidemeans from the axial direction; said clamp means and said support armalternatingly providing support for the guide means; a holding andurging means for supporting the cylindrical ring-like part on the sameaxis as the columnar material at the side of the guide means opposite tothe side of the columnar material, and for pushing the cylindricalring-like part towards the columnar material; a drive means connected tothe support arm and the holding and urging means for driving the supportarm and the holding and urging means; the clamp means is shiftablebetween a state in which the clamp means supports the guide means fromthe sides thereof and a state in which the clamp means releases thesupport and is retracted to the side thereof, and wherein the clampmeans includes a rest for carrying the other end of the columnarmaterial only in the guide means supporting state; the guide meanscomprises the outer inclined surface and a guide member including at oneend thereof a resilient plate for abutting against the columnarmaterial, a support having an axial through hole over the entire lengththereof, wherein the guide member and the support are fitted to eachother for axial relative movement on the same axis as the axis of thecolumnar material laid on the positioning means, and a spring meansmounted between the guide member and the support for exerting a springforce on the resilient plate of the guide member to bias the guidemember away from the columnar material, and wherein the support arm isadapted to push the guide member such that the resilient plate abutsagainst the columnar material, when the guide member is inserted throughthe through hole; and wherein the drive means includes a stationarysupporting frame, a guide rod connected to the holding and urging means,the guide rod extending in parallel to the direction of operation of thesupport arm and the holding and urging means, wherein the guide rod iscarried on the supporting frame for movement along the axis of thesupporting frame, and a sleeve, connected to the support arm and a drivemechanism, the sleeve being slidably fitted over the guide rod for axialmovement relative thereto.
 9. An apparatus for attaching a cylindricalring-like part to the outer periphery of a columnar material,comprising:a positioning means for positioning the columnar materialwith its axis oriented horizontally with a portion to which thecylindrical ring-like part is to be attached being exposed; a guidemeans including a guide member having an outer inclined surface enlargedtowards the columnar material; a clamp means for supporting the guidemeans from the sides thereof to position the guide member on the sameaxis as the columnar material at a position adjacent to the columnarmaterial on the positioning means; a support arm axially movable tosupport the guide means from the axial direction; said clamp means andsaid support arm alternatingly providing support for the guide means; aholding and urging means for supporting the cylindrical ring-like parton the same axis as the columnar material at the side of the guide meansopposite to the side of the columnar material, and for pushing thecylindrical ring-like part towards the columnar material; a drive meansconnected to the support arm and the holding and urging means fordriving the support arm and the holding and urging means; the guidemeans comprises the outer inclined surface and a guide member includingat one end thereof a resilient plate for abutting against the columnarmaterial, a support having an axial through hole over the entire lengththereof, wherein the guide member and the support are fitted to eachother for axial relative movement on the same axis as the axis of thecolumnar material laid on the positioning means, and a spring meansmounted between the guide member and the support for exerting a springforce on the resilient plate of the guide member to bias the guidemember away from the columnar material, and wherein the support arm isadapted to push the guide member such that the resilient plate abutsagainst the columnar material, when the guide member is inserted throughthe through hole; and the drive means includes a stationary supportingframe, a guide rod connected to the holding and urging means, the guiderod extending in parallel to the direction of operation of the supportarm and the holding and urging means, wherein the guide rod is carriedon the supporting frame for movement along the axis of the supportingframe, and a sleeve, connected to the support arm and a drive mechanism,the sleeve being slidably fitted over the guide rod for axial movementrelative thereto.